Austus

Austus

Presence
Country or region	Australia
Olympic	No
Paralympic	No

Austus is a sport which was started in Australia during World War II when U.S. soldiers wanted to play a form of football against the Australians. Because American football is rarely played in Australia and Australian rules football is rarely played in the USA the players wrote up composite rules consisting of throwing, which is traditionally not allowed in Australian rules football, and kicking, which is rarely used in gridiron football. Under this hybrid code, players could mark a forward pass. The name comes from the first four letters of Australia (AUST) and the initials of the United States (US).

The game has rarely, if ever been played since.

References and sources

• IAFC

External links

• Aussie Rules International story on Austus at the Wayback Machine (archived March 24, 2012)
• Article on "The Lost Hybrid Game" at the Wayback Machine (archived December 3, 2010)